3rd round dominance propels UNC women's golf to 10th place finish in Briar's Creek Invitational

The No. 35 North Carolina women’s golf team traveled to Johns Island, S.C., to compete in the Briar’s Creek Invitational on Monday and Tuesday. The Tar Heels tied with ECU for 10th place out of the 18 teams.

What happened?

The Tar Heels weren’t off to a good start for day one,. tying for 14th place at 21-over par. The team round scores were 295 (7-over) for round one and round two was 302 (14-over).

Junior Bryana Nguyen carried the team, ending day one tied for 33rd overall. She had an opening round of 73 — tied for best on the team. Despite being 4-over, junior Lexi Harkins was a consistent golfer for UNC during day one, shooting two 2-over par 74s. After being sick during the Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational, she returned strong to tie for 41st on day one.

UNC bounced back on the second day. The team shot 3-under par 285, the best round of any school for that day. Not only did the Tar Heels move up four places as a team, the individual golfers also improved. Harkins ended the day tied for 16th while first year Brynn Walker tied for 43rd with senior teammate Leslie Cloots.

Who stood out?

UNC had some familiar faces in their lineup for the tournament. Sophomore Kelly Whaley and Walker have competed in all seven events this season. Despite the familiarity, they failed to show up during day one. While Walker struggled with a second-round 7-over par 79, she bounced back to tie for 43rd. Whaley tied for 64th, after shooting a 75-78-75.

Harkins was the most improved player on the lineup. Recovering from illness, she jumped from 41st to 16th after the last round.

When was it decided?

The third round was crucial for the Tar Heels. Harkins shot either on par or one below the entire third round, which was enough to push UNC further up in the ranks. It balanced out her teammates that shot a bogey numerous times throughout the invitational. All five golfers had an improved third round, which helped UNC squeak into the top 10.

Why does it matter?

With the ACC Championship around the corner, the main goal for the team over these next two tournaments is to prepare for ACC play. This tournament gave the Tar Heels valuable experience and proved that they are capable of coming back from behind.

Where do they play next?

The Tar Heels will head out to Browns Summit on Friday, March 31 to April 2 to compete in the Bryan National Collegiate.

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